"I've always been an activist but in different ways," Jann Renert,
Arizona Citizens Project president and founder, told Freedom
Writer Magazine. "My background is in biology and chemistry. I
put some time in medical school, and did some cancer research as a
volunteer at Sloan-Kettering. As a 20-year volunteer with the American
Cancer Society, my interest has always been in health care reform. It
still is, but right now I'm mostly concerned about religious political
extremism."

What made Jann Renert, 47, married, and a mother of two boys, shift
from medical research to political activism? "I was on the
HIV/sexuality curriculum task force in Scottsdale; our school district
has 20,000 kids. We started seeing little things happening here and
there," Jann said.

"Let me give you some examples," she said. "Money for AIDS education
was sent back to the Center for Disease Control after complaints were
made to state legislators by just a few religiously conservative
parents. Then the chairman of the environmental committee at the state
capital called environmentalism 'a religion.' The fees from
'environmental' license plates were not used for environmental
education as required by law. The chairman of the judiciary committee
would not allow a hate-crimes bill to be heard because he was afraid
sexual orientation was included. In a court document, a deputy county
attorney described a Buddhist as a 'pagan who has chosen a path of
eternal damnation...Christianity is the only true path of an
everlasting life.'"

After sitting down with her friend, Sue Braga, the two decided to look
into these matters and try to figure out what was going on. "At
first," Jann said, "nothing clicked. But, we started doing research,
and the more we looked, the bigger the thing got.

"Because of our concern about the long-range affects that the more
radical groups would have on society and the future of this country,
we decided to form a group to monitor and collect information on
extremist groups that were beginning to show success in impacting
policy-making. We also wanted to make this information
available to others because of the stealth tactics being used to keep
the pubic in the dark. We realized that few voters were informed on
candidates positions on critical issues."

They called their new group the Arizona Citizens Project. That was
about four years ago. The two were soon joined by others, including
Shirley McKean, Chick Gerstone, and other volunteers.

Jann's life may seem exciting and dynamic, but it is far from easy.
She often finds herself working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. She
travels to Religious Right conferences, speaks at conferences
statewide, answers the phone, sends fax and e-mail alerts,
and answers about 30 e-mail letters a day.

Does her work negatively impact her family? "Yes, sometimes," she
said. As a result, she freely offers advice to other would-be
activists. "Before you get started, make a commitment to the time
you're going to put in and leave it at that. Stop when kids come home,
or when your husband comes home. Otherwise it's not a
healthy situation."

This past February, Arizona Citizens Project held its first conference
entitled "Countering Extremism in Arizona: Keys to Empowerment."
Speakers included Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of
Church and State. In connection with the conference, the project put
together a binder, a "1996 Toolkit" of over 100 pages
about problems facing the citizens of Arizona, and includes activist
tips for dealing with those problems. It sells for $25.

Although Jann said putting on a conference was extremely difficult,
"It came together and went off very well. With 200 people at our first
conference, and all the letters and positive evaluations, it was well
worth it! We'll do it again next year; people just can't wait!" The
Arizona Citizens Project is also planning a candidates forum in
October of this year, in a coalition with other nonprofits.

As she goes along, Jann is learning the ins and outs of running a
group. Fundraising is always onerous, she said. "Newcomers to this
need to develop the courage to ask for things the group needs. One
person gave me a frequent flyer ticket so I could go to the Christian
Coalition's Road to Victory conference in Washington last September.
I'm slowly learning to ask for donations. When I realize that the
cause is bigger than me, it becomes easier. Specific things are easier
to ask for, like money for a computer, or to travel to a conference."

What other things has Jann learned as an activist countering religious
political extremists? "Well, for one," she said, "you can compromise
with a moderate, but do not compromise with an extremist. There is no
giving there. When you go through a bad time and it tears the
community apart, stick with it; you'll meet a lot of nice people, and
they come together behind you. Also, maintain vigilance. Stay with it.
Don't give up. Keep the work going; keep building your database; keep
those letters to the editor going."

"In the long run," Jann told Freedom Writer, "we hope to
educate as many people as possible; we will give them information to
help them make informed decisions when they go to the ballot box."

You can reach the Arizona Citizens Project at 9699 North Hayden
Road, Suite 108, Box 203, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 or by phone at (602)
585-9719. Light on the Right, the project's newsletter, is $25 a
year.